The smell of warm cinnamon is once again wafting through Glen Haven. Since its reopening on June 1, the Glen Haven General Store has been enjoying a brisk business in snacks, sandwiches, souvenirs, and of course - homemade baked goods, including its famous cinnamon rolls.

"We have been busier than we had expected, it's been really good." said Becky Childs, co-owner and head baker. "People are supporting us, they have been coming in just because we got open. It's great to see everyone again. "

The June 1 date for reopening was a deadline Becky and her husband, Steve, set for themselves; "we said we'd be open, so we opened," Becky said. "Of course, not everything was ready." It's been about five months since they were told in late January that they could rebuild - one of only two previously-existing businesses that were permitted to do so after the flooding of last September. Along with the Inn of Glen Haven, the Glen Haven General Store stands alone on the town's main drag - and people are lining up in droves to support the store now that it's open again.

Both Becky and Steve are fielding lots of questions about what they went through, and (most of the time) they patiently tell the story, over and over again. "People are continuing to be interested in it," Steve said. "The support has been incredible, people are so amazed that there's anything left.

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"I guess I never realized how important the store was to people, but it is," he said. "It's not Becky and I -it's the general store. It gives them confidence, some semblance of normal. They don't know what normal's going to be like from here on out, at least we've kind of taken a step towards it. "

New for this year at the General Store is homemade fudge made right on the premises, in several varieties. Other freshly-made goodies include cherry cobbler, muffins, cinnamon rolls and breads for made-to-order sandwiches. You can wash it all down with a cup of coffee that's still 25 cents. There's snack mix and taffy, cards and postcards, quilts made by Becky's mom, a few things to remind you of your visit to Glen Haven... but not enough, according to Steve.

"Our biggest regret is that we didn't have the place fully stocked," he said. "We drug everything out of here and stuck it in a trailer after the flood, just so we could get it all out and start shoveling mud. Now that we're kind of past all that stuff ... every evening we go up to the trailer and dig something out and try to decide if it's salvageable. Unfortunately, a lot of stuff is ruined. "

The Childs' are on the road to recovery, but still have a way to go. "There are always little glitches when you are trying to rebuild. No real surprises, we just felt rushed. The chlorinated water system we got in just under the wire," Becky said. "But we've got a great building here, it's probably better now than when it was built 100 years ago."

An initial rebuilding assessment was conducted by an engineer in February. "He gave us good news that day, what he told us (meant the reconstruction) wasn't as much as we thought we'd have to do," said Becky. "The guys we had working for us have been phenomenal."

What's still left in rebuilding includes a small living quarters with a kitchen, at the back of the building. "It was pulled apart and has to be redone," said Becky, "It looks the same as it did when it first happened."

Prior to opening last Saturday, people were lining up outside. Becky had been baking for hours and Steve was busy putting snack mix into individual bags. Promptly at 9 am, he flipped the closed sign to open and unlocked the door. People began streaming in.

"We're pretty surprised at the amount of traffic, we didn't know what to expect," said Steve that day. "(Most of the roads) are still all dirt, and people don't like to drive on dirt roads, it's dusty and has pot holes. But hasn't seemed to slow anybody down.

"From a strictly financial standpoint, we finally have some money coming in the door instead of coming out," he said. "We've been spending money we didn't have (on reconstruction)."

The Glen Haven General Store is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm through October. Visit their website at glenhavengeneralstore.com

"We're excited for the summer," said Becky. "For so many, it's the first time they've seen the destruction and they arrive in tears - partly because of the way things look and party because they are glad we're open again. It kind of gives them hope that things will get back to normal."

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